open source marketer and community manager

python

A few weeks ago I found an old first-generation Raspberry Pi hiding in a closet. At the same time I started investigating WordPress REST API at work. I also wanted an excuse to buy a Dremel. Everything seemed to align when I was strolling by the local Goodwill where my wife found an old toy microwave. Perfect excuses assembled, I had to buy a Dremel to fit a Raspberry Pi, its camera and a screen in a toy microwave to build a photobooth machine.

Several nights after, the hardware is ready. I found a used Dremel on Craigslist: great machine to cut the plastic quickly. I carved an opening in the microwave’s front door and mounted the Landzo display on it. For holding the Pi in place, I used a very low tech hack of wood sticks and glue, plus a rubber band. Unfortunately the first-gen Pi doesn’t have mounting holes on its base and I didn’t want to spend more money on a case. Good enough.

The microwave came with buttons and a LED that I connected to the board’s GPIO: the Start button starts the photobooth app, and the LED blinks while taking pictures. There are 4 more buttons that I will probably connect too for something fun, like show a video of actual food being cooked in the microwave… something for version 2 though.

In the next post I’ll talk a little more about the Python code I modified to use WordPress REST API.